Last Friday night, IPA Director of Policy, Simon Breheny, appeared on Sky TV to discuss the upcoming Queensland election and some of the election commitments that had been put forward. When Simon expressed his enthusiasm and support for the State Opposition’s pledge to cut red tape by twenty percent, he was met with a range [...]

A small business owner in Maribynong wanted to attach an A3 sized sign to his home to promote his own business. Sounds simple right? Well, the Maribyrnong Council wants to charge him over $1200 for the privilege. In order to hang the sign on your own fence, you need to apply for a permit, and the permit [...]

A regional NSW local government has put forth a proposal which, despite aiming to help farmers, would actually make them worse off. Wollondilly Shire Council is considering the implementation of an “Agricultural Enterprise Credit Scheme” (AEC). This involves the creation of nominal credits, which are awarded to farmers according to their productivity. Developers are then [...]

A nine-year-old girl in Logan City Council, Queensland, has been forced to give up her wish to run a homemade cake stall because of exorbitant overregulation from state and local governments. The young entrepreneur, Tara McVeigh, planned to sell baked goods including cupcakes, cookies and brownies at a local market. She was hoping to earn some [...]

Australia’s airline cabotage laws are outdated and contrary to the interests of consumers. The term ‘cabotage’ is typically used in the context of airline and shipping industries, and refers to the right to transport passengers or goods from one point to another within a single country. Cabotage laws place restrictions on this practice, usually reserving [...]

More than 100 not-for-profit organisations have formed a coalition in an effort to fix the sector’s burdensome and inefficient regulatory system. In an open letter to both state and federal governments, the coalition stated: “The loss in productivity involved for the thousands of charities who try to meet the requirements of the seven different fundraising [...]

A new submission by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has found that Victorian agriculture is being held back by excessive regulation. VCCI chief executive, Mark Stone, stated that the industry is overdue for red tape reduction: “Governments tend to overlook the fact farmers have a large burden of red-tape regulation applied to them." "And [...]

The South Australian government will hold its second annual Simplify Day in August this year, for the purpose of “cutting unnecessary red tape and removing outdated and redundant legislation.” The government is seeking input from business and the community, with particular emphasis on “transport, consumer and business affairs, and agriculture.” Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, [...]

The oppressive nature of trading hours’ restrictions on Queensland businesses has long been known. However, state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has recognised the need for reforming these archaic laws. Regulating trading hours reduces the capacity of businesses to meet the demand of consumers, lessening their purchasing flexibility and choice. In a state where there are 99 [...]

A new Essential Research poll has shown that minor party voters believe that Australia is over-regulated. While across all Australian voters, 33 per cent think we have too much regulation, for minor party voters the response is much higher at 52 per cent. In comparison, 33 per cent of Labor voters, 31 per cent of [...]